Reishi

Reishi Mushroom Benefits

Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum) is a medicinal mushroom that can be helpful in combating many different health conditions.

A well known benefit of consuming Reishi is it’s beneficial effect on the immune system. It promotes a strong immunity to disease. While some pharmaceutical medicines lose their effectiveness after a time, Reishi does not. It can be taken daily with no build-up of tolerance.

Reishi enhances the immune system, helping the body fend off sickness. This alone makes this mushroom very valuable as a health tonic. It’s also known to normalize the organs of the body, as it’s classified as an adaptogen. It improves the functioning of the body in many ways. It is a great stress reducer, possessing the ability to help boost energy or help one get to sleep depending on the needs of the body.

Reishi fights fatigue and restores the body’s natural energy levels while reducing high blood pressure and lowering triglycerides. It is very beneficial to the respiratory system and helps a person suffering from colds and coughs. It is probably best knows for it’s ability to help the liver function properly and is used by patients undergoing cancer treatment like chemotherapy.

A recent study of Reishi extract showed that 92% of 355 patients with hepatitis showed great health improvements after treatment with this mushroom.

Cancer patients often take an extract of Reishi mushroom while undergoing chemotherapy. It reduced the side effects of the treatment, such as hair loss and fatigue. Reishi is also taken as a preventive and a treatment for cancerous tumors.

This herb has been taken by people after transplant surgery to reduce the risk of organ rejection. There is a special protein called Ling Zhi-8 in the mushroom that is believed to be responsible for this effect.

Taking Reishi mushroom is believed to lower your bad cholesterol (LDL). It helps to keep it from building up on the walls of the arteries. This may also prove helpful in reducing the risk of heart attacks.

Besides just treating many health problems, Reishi is also used as an effective preventive to disease. It is said to prevent most common diseases. While more research needs to be done, it does seem to keep people healthier when taken on a regular basis.

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Reishi Mushroom Uses

Enhance the immune system

Treat high blood pressure

Treat hepatitis

Improve blood circulation

Treat anxiety

Treat bronchitis and asthma

Treat insomnia

Remove toxic matter from the body

Help calm the mind

Prevent and treat cancer

Treat cardiovascular disease

Protect against heart disease

Protect against infectious disease

Offer relief as a powerful antihistamine

Treat arthritis

Improve memory, concentration and focus

Scientific name

Ganoderma lucidum

Common names

Reishi, lingzhi, ling chih, “spirit plant”

Where It Grows

North America, Japan and China

Which Part Of The Plant Is Used

The Fruiting Body

Reishi Fruiting Body

How It Works

Reishi mushroom is made up of complex carbohydrates (water soluble polysaccharidescontains), polysaccharides and triterpenoids, protein and amino acids. These active compounds benefit the body in numerous ways. It can be used as a general tonic for overall wellness as well as to treat specific aliments.

How It’s Used

Reishi is usually dried and ground and put into capsules. It is also taken as a tea.

Precautions and Side Effects:

Reishi mushroom is considered non-toxic. It may cause the body to detox rapidly if taken in large amounts. Just start off with a small dose and work your way up to the recommended dosage to avoid any problems. If you are pregnant or nursing, always ask your doctor before taking any health supplement. Reishi has been safely taken by people of all ages.

Description and History of Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushrooms are a fungus that are reddish brown in color, having brown spores and a long stalk, also hard and bitter in taste. Their cap is fan shaped and has a shiny appearance. This mushroom can be found growing on decaying tree stumps and wood. The best reishi grows on Japanese plum trees and oak. Reishi can grow in six colors. Some people believe that the different colors have different properties. Red reishi is what is used most for healing.

The reishi mushroom has been in constant use for over 4,000 years. It is a very important part of traditional Chinese medicine. It is used mostly to treat cough, asthma, fatigue and liver ailments. It is thought to empower the spirit and promote longevity. The name in Chinese (Ling Chu) means “herb of spiritual potency”. Named “mannentake” in Japan, the name means 10,000 year old mushroom”.

The Egyptians believed reishi to be a gift from their god Osiris and the Romans thought of it as the food of the Gods. The Chinese called it the elixir of life and considered it a superior herb. Taoist monks often used reishi to calm the mind and spirit to help them meditate. It has been said that ginseng is the king of herbs, but reishi is the herb of kings.

Editor’s Comments

I sometime take reishi mushroom when I feel stressed. It really does calm the mind and put one in a better mood. I’ve also used it to treat asthma.

The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. These supplements mentioned are not intended to cure, treat, diagnose or prevent disease. The contents of this website are for informational purposes only. Always talk with your doctor before taking any health supplements or starting on any exercise program.